Cops demand CBI record in 1991 abduction case

Dushyant Singh Pundir

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 6

The Punjab Police today filed an application in the Special CBI Court of Chandigarh, seeking documents of the preliminary inquiry conducted by the CBIin a nearly 29-year-old case of kidnapping of a former IAS officer’s son.

In the application, the Punjab Police stated that the report of the preliminary inquiry conducted by the CBI in the case should be handed over to them as they had restarted investigation in the case.

In reply, counsels for the CBI stated that the agency had registered the FIR in the case in 2008 on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and conducted a preliminary inquiry. However, the FIR was quashed by the Supreme Court on technical grounds in 2011.

The counsels submitted that the agency keeps record of old cases for five years and destroys the same thereafter. The CBI had conducted preliminary probe into the case 12 years ago and collected information from various departments and as the FIR was quashed in 2011, the documents were returned to the departments concerned, submitted the CBI counsels. They also contended that the agency, at present, was not in possession of any record pertaining to the case.

Now, the case will come up for hearing on Monday.

The Mohali police had recently booked former DGP Sumedh Singh Saini and seven other police personnel in the kidnapping case that took place in 1991.

The case was registered on the complaint of Palwinder Singh Multani, son of late IAS officer Darshan Singh Multani, in Mohali. The complainant stated that his brother Balwant Singh Multani was unlawfully abducted, tortured and killed in the custody by Saini and the police personnel under his command in 1991.

The case has been registered against former DGP Saini, DSP Baldev Singh, Sub-Inspectors Satbir Singh, Harsahai, Jagir Singh, Anoop Singh and Kuldeep Singh on charges of kidnapping or abduction in order to murder, causing disappearance of evidence, wrongful confinement, voluntarily causing hurt to exhort confession and criminal conspiracy at the Mautaur police station in Mohali. While Baldev Singh retired as SP from Chandigarh Police, Satbir Singh who retired as DSP had passed away.

Hearing tomorrow

• CBI counsels stated the agency had registered the FIR in the Saini’s case in 2008 on HC’s directions
• The Supreme Court quashed the FIR on technical grounds in ’11
• The counsels submitted the agency kept the record of old cases for five years and destroyed the documents later
• The case will come up for hearing on Monday